For The First Time As Yankees Manager, Aaron Boone Has No More Excuses

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 26: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout before playing the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game Two of the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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The importance of a Major League manager has been a topic of debate in recent history.

With teams making more decisions based on research from the analytical department, the game-to-game responsibilities are less dependent on the man at the end of the dugout.

While the manager is still the one signing the lineup card and walking to the mound for pitching changes, most of their decisions are premeditated or based on statistical backing, rather than game feel.

And for the New York Yankees, who have developed one of the largest analytic departments in Major League Baseball, the role of current manager Aaron Boone is different from those who came before him.

Despite this roundtable approach to the position, however, another aspect of the manager is to face the media based on the in-game decision. Which, for Boone, is arguably the most of any other manager in baseball.

So, how much blame does Boone deserve for his lack of a championship in eight years at the helm? And why does this year seem different than the rest?

When Boone took over for Joe Girardi in 2018, he was tasked with leading the “Baby Bombers” after the 2017 Yankees unexpectedly reached the ALCS ahead of schedule.

After winning 100 games, they fell in the ALDS to the rival Boston Red Sox, who went on to be one of the best World Series rosters in recent history.

2019 seemed like their best chance; however, they fell in the ALCS to the Houston Astros for the second time in three years.

That 2019 season would be the closest they came to ending the championship drought until last season’s runner-up finish.

Over that stretch of seven seasons, the makeup of the team saw its share of adjustments.

From a lineup of “three-true-outcome” righties and the best bullpen in baseball, to the more balanced lineup and improved starting rotation seen in 2025, there’s an argument for the Yankees currently having their best roster in the Boone era.

And, as Boone said himself amid the team’s recent struggles, he too feels this may be the best team he has managed in his career.

Despite this fact, the Yankees are currently on pace to finish with just 86 wins, which would be the second-worst mark in Boone’s tenure.

There are several trends that have led to this unexpected record. The overarching aspect of their struggles was the same Achilles Heel that made the 2024 World Series so brief: fundamentals.

Largely, these gaffes were seen defensively for New York. Most can remember the key moments of the World Series, like Aaron Judge’s error in center field or Gerrit Cole’s inability to cover first on a ground ball.

When the Yankees failed to re-sign Juan Soto in free agency, a majority of this budget allocation was to return players to their primary positions and add more depth to the lineup.

Additions like Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, paired with Judge returning to right field and Jazz Chisholm Jr eventually returning to second base, gave the team a much-improved defensive unit.

Despite this, New York still ranks in the bottom-third of teams based on fielding percentage at .985, which is the same mark as in 2024.

The main culprit of these errors is former Gold Glove shortstop Anthony Volpe, who is tied for the league lead for his position with 16 errors. Chisholm Jr is right behind Volpe with 12, but a majority of those errors came from when he played third base.

The team’s consistent struggles defensively have been paired with an underperforming bullpen, which is something the Yankees are less familiar with.

Despite finishing with the sixth-best reliever ERA in 2024, they currently rank 22nd in baseball this year with a 4.31 ERA and 24 losing decisions.

Outside of injuries, questioning the depth of the bullpen, the offseason acquisition of closer Devin Williams has left a lot to be desired. With a 5.10 ERA on the year, Williams now has five blown saves and three losing decisions compared to 17 saves.

Despite these current struggles for the Yankees, they are still in the thick of a playoff and division race due to their offense.

New York as a team currently leads all of baseball in slugging percentage, OPS, home runs, and walks.

While the leading contributor to these team numbers is Aaron Judge amid another MVP-type season, the lineup as a whole has produced, with eight qualified hitters producing an OPS+ above league average.

It was for this reason that General Manager Brian Cashman sought to buy in at the trade deadline, giving the Yankees their biggest midseason acquisitions in the Boone era.

To the lineup, New York upgraded at third base by bringing in Ryan McMahon and trading away Oswald Peraza, alongside adding Jose Caballero, Austin Slater, and Amed Rosario for their bench.

These infield additions not only allowed for better rotation over the final two months of the year, but also allowed another viable option at shortstop if Volpe’s struggles continued. Whether it was the pressure of losing his position or the sense of relief that less may be expected of him every game, Volpe has played better of late with a .980 OPS in his last 17 games.

After a slew of lineup additions ahead of Deadline Day, the Yankees delivered in upgrading their bullpen as well, bringing in David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird.

Now, New York has four players with double-digit saves in the past two seasons, including Williams and Luke Weaver.

Despite this revamping of the roster, the Yankees have yet to win a game since their new roster was all officially wearing pinstripes, as they were swept by the Marlins and then lost the first two against the Rangers.

While it has only been five games for the team to adjust to their new roles, it is getting late early in the Bronx, as one more loss in Texas would officially remove New York from the current playoff picture.

So, with the “best (roster) he’s managed in several years”, the blame would now be on Boone more than it ever has in his tenure.

With an embarrassment of riches on the bench and in the bullpen, there has yet to be a noticeable shift in his managerial urgency.

While some starting lineup or bullpen decisions in years past, or even before the trade deadline, were because of a lack of a better option, now Boone has the means to adjust based on the best matchup for individual players.

The only question that now remains is if Boone will ever get to this level of aggressiveness, even if it means hurting the confidence of an individual player.

If Williams continues to struggle in high-leverage situations, will they give him some appearances of “mop-up duty”? If Volpe begins to struggle again, will the shortstop position be a competition?

Or, if there is another mental gaffe from the team, would it finally lead to an in-game benching?

A lot can happen in the postseason, so it would be unfair to say “World Series or bust” for Boone this current season.

However, if the team cannot break this spell of sub-.500 baseball, there may be an opening at the end of the dugout for the New York Yankees.